Bodily Image

[Pele]

Here is a question for you....

I was watching the show Cirque Du Soliel did on Bravo..The Fire Within, about the making of Varakai. A pretty heavily (not grossly obese) gentleman auditioned to sing and was told that they felt he did not take pride in his bodily appearance, which they require of everyone in their shows and so while he was a great singer they could not hire him (which is a farce, because there are some people in their shows who are "large" outside of costumes...anyway....).

A performance troupe in California was hired to do a corporate type job, relatively large gig for them, but they were told to drop one of their members because she did not "fit their image of what a performance artist should look like". She is a size 14, perfectly healthy and average, not thin, not fat. They stood by her and said all or none.

In arabic countries skinny bellydancers are shunned because part of the point is the celebration of the female form. Here there was an event organizer who refused to allow anyone not fitting into the "Britney Spears Body Mould" to perform.

I was wondering how you all feel about this. Is it imperitive that in the American performance industry you be perfectly slim, which does not always equate to fit, just to be visually appealing?

Thanks in advance!

[Steven Ragatz]

You have to fit the part, whatever that entails. No matter how I try, no matter how much I want it, no matter how well I sing, I will never be cast as the lead in "Annie". Where you draw the line depends on the individuals involved.

Steven Ragatz

[Jimbo]

it is truely unfortunate what pop culture has done to the performance industry, even as a comedian, there are times in my career where i'm ashamed to perform. one time i was the opening act at a ladies night show with male strippers, i shouldn't have felt bad but I still did, in my show I did a mock strip tease. Sure it was funny but because of what a good looking man "should look like" my body has become a punch line.

time are tough especially for the female performers, i wish there was something i could do but there just isn't.

jimbo

[Pyromancer]

I agree with Steven: you have to fit the part. There's no way you can play a jumpy little girl if you are not a jumpy little girl and a jumpy little girl would have a hard time playing a fancy big mamma... Instead of ignoring the sizes of your body, find ways to make them work for you...